The document discusses the selection and classification of variables in social science research. It defines a variable as an attribute that varies between entities. Variables can be qualitative (categorical) or quantitative (numeric). Data can be univariate (involving one variable), bivariate (two variables), or multivariate (more than two variables). The dependent variable is what is being studied, while independent variables influence the dependent variable. An example illustrates how variables would be selected for a study on domestic violence and contraceptive use, including background characteristics, reproductive history, contraceptive knowledge and use, fertility preferences, women's status, marital relationship, and measures of physical, sexual, and emotional domestic violence. Variables are also discussed for a study using secondary data to examine

1. Selection of Variables and its
inference in Social Science research
Dr . C.P.PRAKASAM
Retired Professor from IIPS, Mumbai
prakasamcp60@gmail.com
4/1/2021 Selection of Variables-Prof.C.P.Prrkasam 1

2. What is Variable
• In social science research including statistics,
a variable is an attribute that describes a
person, place, thing, which varies from one
entity to another.
• For example: Age , height, Weight or income
of individual etc
• Variable x1= Age, X2=Weight, X3=Weight.
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3. Types of Variables
• Variables can be classified as qualitative (categorical)
or quantitative (numeric).
• Qualitative: Qualitative variables take on values that
are names or labels.
 The color of a ball (e.g., red, green, blue) or economic
status of family (Poor, Middle, Rich)
• Quantitative: Quantitative variables are numeric. They
represent a measurable quantity.
 For example: Population Density of mega cities,
Number of members in a family - a measurable
number would be a quantitative variable
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4. Univariate , Bivariate and Multi variate Data
• In social science research data are often classified
according to the number of variables being
studied.
• Univariate data. For example: that we conducted
a survey to know the average income of family.
Income of each family forms Univariate data.
• Bivariate data. If we examine relationship
between two variables,
• Ex: Relationship between the height and weight
of high school students.
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5. Dependent and Independent Variable
• The progress of one variable depends upon the
other then the former one called Dependent
variables and later one is independent variable.
• Example :Wage Earnings of a laborer depends
upon the number of hours he worked.
• Hence Wage Earnings is dependent variable
Hours of work-Independent
Dependent variable is denoted as Y
Independent variable/s as X1, X2 etc.
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6. Research Process:
Selection of Research Topic
Defining Objectives, Hypothesis
Selection of Variables
Collection of data—Primary or secondary or
mixed methods
Analysis and interpretation
Selection of variables depends upon the topic
and the objectives framed.
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7. Illustration: Selection of variables for
Primary data collection
• Title of the project:
Domestic Violence from Husband and
Acceptance of Contraceptive Use among
Couples
Study area: Slum communities
Objective: To Assess the prevalence of
Domestic Violence from husband among
reproductive women not using contraception
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8. Illustration: Selection of variables for
Primary data collection
• Background characteristics: age, education, religion, caste, marital
status, occupation of Husband, use of any substance by both husband
and wife
Reproductive History: pregnancy history of women including
pregnancy losses, future Childbearing intentions
• Knowledge and use of contraception: knowledge and source of
information on family planning methods, ever and current use of
contraceptives
• Fertility preference: Desire to have another child, reasons for non-use of
contraception and intentions to use contraception in the future
• Women’s Status: Occupation, women’s autonomy and decision making
• Marital Relationship and Communication: A pretested scale is being
used to assess spousal communication
• Spousal abuse from husband: Various forms of emotional, physical and
sexual violence experienced by women, help seeking by victims of
domestic violence.
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9. Measuring Domestic Violence from Husband
(Does/ did) your (last) husband ever does any of the following things to you:
Physical Violence (Yes/No)
• Slap you?
• Twist your arm or pull your hair?
• Push you, shake you or throw something at you?
• Punch you with his fist or with something that could hurt you?
• Kick you, drag you or beat you up?
• Try to choke you or burn you on purpose?
• Threaten or attack you with a knife, gun, or any other weapon?
Sexual Violence
• Physically force you to have sexual intercourse with him even when you did
not want to?
• Force you to perform any sexual acts you did not want to do?
Emotional Violence:
• Say or do something to humiliate you in front of others?
• Threaten to hurt or harm you or someone close to you?
• Insult you or make you feel bad about yourself?
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10. Measuring Domestic Violence
• Women could respond “yes” or “no” to each
item. In each instance of a “yes” response
women were asked about the frequency of
the act in the 12 months preceding the survey
as well as in their life time (ever). A “yes”
response to one or more to the above item
reveals evidence of Physical, Sexual and
Emotional Violence.
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11. Characteristics of women
Socio-demographic characteristics N=1136
Mean age 26.5 (±4.4)
Literate 84.4%
Hindu 65.4%
Working 11.0%
Mean number of children 2.1(±1.2)
Husbands’ consume alcohol 22.8%
Ever experienced domestic violence 21.2%
Domestic violence in the past 12
months
17.1%
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12. 12
Type of Violence
In the past 12 months
Often Some time Often or some time
Physical Violence
Any form of Physical violence
o Slapped her
o Twisted her arm or pull her
o Pushed her, shook her or throw something at her
o Punch her with his fist or hurt with something
o Kicked her, dragged her or beat her up
o Try to choke her or burn her on purpose
o Threaten or attack her with knife or weapon
2.6
1.6
1.7
1.6
1.4
0.7
0.3
5.9
2.0
3.1
2.1
1.8
0.7
0.9
8.5
3.6
4.8
3.7
3.2
1.4
1.2
Emotional Violence
Any form of emotional violence
o Said or did something to humiliate her in front of others
o Threaten to hurt or harm her or someone close to her
o Insult her or made her to feel bad about herself.
2.6
1.9
2.9
8.3
5.4
8.0
10.9
7.3
10.9
Sexual Violence
Any form of sexual violence
o Physically forced her to have sexual intercourse with him ever
when she did not want to
o Force her to perform any sexual acts she did not want to
1.4
0.9
2.9
1.2
4.3
2.1
Any form of Physical or Sexual violence
Any form of Physical and Sexual violence
Any form of Physical or Sexual violence or emotional violence
Any form of Physical and Sexual violence and emotional violence
10.9
3.2
18.8
2.9
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13. Illustration: Selection of variables from
secondary data
• Research topic: Influence of Household Poverty on
Women Health
• Sample element: Currently married Women in the
reproductive age (15-49)
• Data collection: Secondary data analysis
• We have to define the terms viz: Household Poverty,
Women Health given in the title.
• A set of household amenities, Household resources
(Life-style indicators) have been considered as proxy
variables for measuring status of Poverty.
• Women health has been identified through her
“Anemia” status
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14. Household Factors
• H1. Electricity
• H2. Source of Drinking
Water
• H3.Time to get drinking
Water
• H4.Main type of fuel used
for cooking
• H5.Food Cooked on Stove,
Chullah or Open fire:
• H6.Type of Toilet facility
• No- 0, Yes- 1
• Piped -4,Well-3,Surface Water-
2,Other- 1
• Within the premises- 4, <15 minutes-
2,>15 minutes-1
• Wood-1
• Crop Residues/ Dung
Cake/Coal/coke/ Lignite/charcoal-2
• Kerosene -3 , Electricity/L.P.G/ Bio-
gas-4
• Stove-4, Chullah-3, Open fire-2,
Other-1
• Flush Toilet-4, Pit toilet/latrine-3, Dry
toilet-1, No facility (bush, field etc)-0
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15. Variables..
• H7.House Hold Goods:
Radio, TV, Refrigerator, Cycle,
Sewing Machine,
Motorcycle/Scooter: Yes-1, No-0
• H8.Household Furniture
Mattress, Pressure Cooker, Chair,
Cot/bed, table, fan Yes-1, No-0
• H9.Type of House
Pucca-2, Not Pucca-1
• H10.Household family Structure
Nuclear-2, Joint& Extended-1
• H11.Ownership of House
• Own this house or other houres-2,
No-1
• H12.Number of Household
Members
1-4 Members-4, 5-9 Members-2,
10+ Members-1
• Back Ground variables
• B1.Level of Education
Illiterate- 0,Primary-
1,Secondary-2,Higher-3
• B2.Place of residence
• Urban- 1,Rural-2
• B3.Husband’s Education
Illiterate- 0,Primary-
1,Secondary-2,Higher-3
• B4.Religion
Hindu – 1,Muslim-2,Others-
3
• B5.Work status of Women
for Cash
Not paid – 0,Working for
cash- 1
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16. Measurement of variables
Background variables are quantitative and household level
variables are qualitative.
To measure the poverty of households, all variables
should be changed in to numerical values (scores) that
is to be recorded in to the categories of that particular
variable.
• For example: Availability of Electricity in the house:
Yes=1, No=0
• Main type of fuel used for cooking: Wood-1, Crop
Residues/ Dung Cake/Coal/coke/ Lignite/charcoal-2
• Kerosene -3, Electricity/L.P.G/ Bio-gas-4
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17. Measurement of variables
• Scores have been given ranging from “1” to “4”.Higher
score indicate better household facilities, indicating “well”
and lower score indicates “poor”.
• Considering Source of Drinking Water (H2), Piped water is
given as score “4” explains that household had better
economic status (Not Poor) to have piped water at home
than the household who depends on surface water as source
of water.
• Similarly time to get drinking water (H3), “with in the
premises” given higher score because household had better
facility, gives indirect evidence of better economic situation
than time requires “more than15 minutes to get water”.
• It is assumed that housewife will spend more time in
getting water which is a proxy indicator of “Poverty”, affect
her health condition.
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18. Way to Analyze the data
1. Calculate index for each household variables by
summing up the scale values.
2. Calculate the correlation between the index
values and background variables (all).
3. Select the significant variables.
4. Calculate Logit regression by considering
Women health (Anemia) as dependent variable
and significant variables as independent.
5. Alternative approach: Select the important index
variable through Factor analysis-PCA method
and analyze through Logit.
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